Computer Trouble
by CrazyKitCat
Summary: Shane is having computer trouble and takes it to the Torres Hardware store where he finds HER. The one girl he's had on his mind since Camp Rock two years ago.


**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except the plot…that's mine.**

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><p>Shane groaned as his computer crashed <em>again<em>.

"It crashed again?" Nate, his band mate, asked. Shane just groaned and nodded. Nate was the smart, business-like one in the group and was able to guess Shane's current problem.

"Dude, you should just take it to the hardware store next town we stop in and get them to look at it," his other band mate suggested. Heck, even Jason could guess that Shane was having computer problems, and he was the 'stupid' one! Jason was usually depicted as the stupid birdhouse-obsessed freak, but really the only reason he liked birds so much is because they remind him of his mom. Now deceased, his mother's colorful birdhouse collection were the only physical connection Jason felt he still had with his mom. And he wasn't stupid, in fact he was pretty smart, he was just slow on the uptake sometimes.

Together the three boys made up the world-famous band, Connect 3. Right now, they were touring the United States and Shane's computer had a bug or something because it kept crashing while he tried to do his schoolwork on the road.

Shane groaned at Jason. "You know why I can't do that man! If I even try to set foot in the store to ask for help, I'll be mobbed by fans!"

"Shane has a point Jason," Nate interjected. '_Thank you Nate for _finally _taking my side in an argument,' _Shane thought.

"Well, if your computer keeps crashing while being fully charged and you don't know why, I suggest that you get a professional to look at it." Jason said.

"And Jason has a better point," _I spoke too soon._ "Sorry Shane," Nate continued, "But we can give you security to protect you while you go in. Jason and I have no way to defend ourselves from your moaning," Jason laughed as Nate easily caught the projectile Shane had thrown at him.

"Yeah, I agree with Nate, man," Jason said. "Look, we enter the next town in about 30 minutes, and then we have about an hour before sound check. You can run into the nearest hardware store, and ask them if they can fix it. If yes, ask how long it'll take and if it'll take more than an hour, leave it with them and then come to sound check. We can pick it up after the show."

Shane groaned, but knew his band mates were right. He had to get it checked out before the situation got any worse.

"Alright, fine," he sighed in surrender. "I'll head to the nearest Best Buy and get them to check it out."

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><p>Shane groaned as he looked up at the name of the store, "Torres Hardware." <em>Of course the small town they were performing in was <em>too _small for a Best Buy. _When Shane had asked for a hardware store, the local sound technician at the venue had directed him to the locally owned store, claiming it was the best there was, before scurrying off to prepare for the sound check.

Shane sighed, checking to make sure his curly blond wig and big black sunglasses were secured, before pulling the hood of his zipper hoodie over the wig and walked into the store.

The bell dinged to announce the entrance of another customer as the door opened. The lighthearted, twinkling sound was a major contrast to the way Shane was feeling and he tensed up, expecting to be bombarded by girls. He stood frozen in the doorway for a second before relaxing when the two customers in the store didn't even glance up. Shane sighed in relief and took the hood off of his head as he headed over to the service desk, where he saw a female employee completely engrossed in the novel she was reading. He cleared his throat, and the girl jumped in surprise, obviously surprised that she hadn't heard the customer walk up to her desk.

The girl held up her index finger, indicating that she needed a moment to compose herself before she could help him. She slipped off of the stool and bent over to pick up the book she had dropped when she had jumped in surprise. She had long, wavy brown hair, tied up in a ponytail and had reading glasses on. That was about all that Shane could tell for a moment since her hair was hiding her face from Shane's view. She was wearing an apron that said "Torres Hardware" on the front, indicating that she was, in fact, an employee. He gasped when she looked up and he was positive that he must have looked like a gaping fish-out-of-water for about a minute before he was able to compose himself. He was having trouble believing that the girl at the help desk was the same girl he hadn't been able to get out of his head for the past few years.

"M-M-Mitchie!" he finally got out.

"Hi," she smiled and then lowered her voice as she leant forward so only he could hear her. "Shane, the blond wig may work for a short period of time, but your black hair is peeking out," she barely whispered to him. "How about we go to the back before someone recognizes you?" she suggested. He immediately nodded, wanting to not attract any extra attention. She smiled and lifted a portion of the countertop before ushering him through. She quickly scrawled a note that she was taking a short break, before following Shane into the back of the store.

Mitchie led Shane to the staff break-room and motioned for him to sit on the couch, before plopping on the armchair across from him. There was a peaceful, yet awkward, silence where they both just gazed at each other in astonishment before they both started speaking at once.

"Shane I-"

"Mitchie, listen-"

They both stopped at the same time and looked at each other before Mitchie burst into a fit of giggles, Shane chuckling at her reaction.

"I missed this," she whispered, smiling at him.

"Me too," Shane nodded, not having to be told that she was referring to their semi-friendship all those years ago at camp. "You go first," Shane offered, gesturing for her to continue what she was going to say.

She nodded in thanks before taking a deep breath. "Shane, I'm sorry for lying about my mom, but I never lied to you specifically."

"You never told the whole truth either," Shane reminded her.

"True, I never told you that she wasn't the president of Hot Tunes TV, China, but in my defense, you never specifically asked."

"Cause it's what _you_ said to Tess! What was I supposed to think?" Shane scoffed.

"I realize that, but just like you were 'just Shane' when you were around me, I was 'just Mitchie' when I was around you. I wasn't ever fake when I was with you, ever. When we talked I wasn't pretending. I don't know if you noticed or not, but I left Camp Rock the day after the Beach Jam. I felt so bad that you thought I was a liar that I couldn't stand being there. My mom stayed there as the cook till the end of the summer, but I came back home and started working for my dad to help pay off the rest of the camp tuition that I hadn't used, but still owed the camp. My family isn't exactly high-income, so it was a huge deal to send me off to camp. When I decided to come home, my parents were so mad about me wasting their money; they made me work to pay it off.

"For the past two years, the thought that I never had the chance to fully apologize to you has haunted me. I never really cared about what others thought about me after they found out the truth about my family; it was only you that I thought about. About how I hurt you and how you thought I was only planning on betraying your trust. Shane, the only reason I recognized you so quickly out there in the store is because I only think about you. Still, after all this time, I only think about you. I don't think about Shane Gray, or about the "famous, cookie-cutter, pop star junk" that you used to sing, but _you_. I fell in love with you over the short amount of time that we spent together that summer. I know that sounds corny, but it's true.

"The thought that you would never speak to me again broke my heart when I left camp. If I'm being honest with myself, I'd tell you that I broke my own heart that summer and left any remaining in-tact pieces with you back at camp. You've been unknowingly holding my heart this whole time. Words cannot _begin _to explain how _sorry_ I am for what I did to you. I am so, _so_ sorry Shane… I'm not saying we have to be friends or anything, but is there any way you could find it in your heart to forgive the wrongs I have caused you?" she almost begged, nervously.

"Mitchie…" Shane started, examining and gauging her closely. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Mitchie's head snapped back in surprise. Out of all the responses, that had _not_ been one she was expecting.

"Um…no?" she told him, confused as to what he was thinking. She had to admit that she was curious to see what point he was trying to get to.

"Do you want one?" he asked her in a casual tone, but his eyes told her that his question was serious.

"Well most every girl does," Mitchie started, "but I fail to see what that has to do with any-" Mitchie's rambling was cut off by Shane's lips covering hers in a sweet kiss. She immediately melted into him as he tugged her towards him. The movement moved her off of the armchair, as she pretty much straddled his lap. When Mitchie moaned in the back of her throat in reaction to their new connection, Shane immediately deepened the kiss and their tongues battled for dominance. Shane wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer as her hands knocked his curly blonde wig off so that she could weave her fingers into his raven black hair. As one of Shane's hands moved to cup her cheek, the other stayed firmly around her waist, his thumb rubbing circles into her back. They only parted when their need to breathe became too great. Their foreheads rested together as they gasped for air.

"What—what was that—for?" Mitchie asked as she gasped for breath.

"Is it true what you said about thinking about me almost all the time?" he asked, answering her question with another question as he rubbed her cheek with his calloused thumb.

"Yes," she breathed, her voice barely a whisper as she leaned her head into his hand. "Everything I said was the truth. The only time I have _ever_ lied in my life was when I said that my mom was the president of Hot Tunes TV China. When we hung out that summer, I was completely being myself. When I told you today that I am in love with, not 'the Shane Gray,' but with 'just Shane,' I was being the most dead-honest I have ever been in my entire life.

"I have truly tried to forget about you and date other people and have a 'normal' life, but I can't. I just can't do it Shane," she told him, almost angry at herself. "You are the only person I think about. At night, your presence fills my dreams, and throughout the day I always see your face. You are at the front of my mind always. You don't have to say that you love me back or anything," she added as an afterthought. "I just wanted you to know that I love you completely and unconditionally for who you are and I never plan on stopping."

"Me neither," he promised her.

"Wait—what?"

"Mitchie, do you honestly think that _don't _love you?" he asked her dead-serious. "Do you really think that I would react the way I did when I found out you were lying, about just anyone lying to me? Mitchie, you say that you fell in love with me that summer. Well, listen to me right now, because I'm being the most serious I have ever been: I honestly and truly fell completely head-over-heels in love with you. When Caitlyn told me that you left camp, all of my feelings of betrayal and anger immediately evaporated and regret was the only emotion that filled me.

"Mitch, you intoxicate me. Thoughts of you never leave my head. Whether I'm awake or asleep, I see only you. All of the songs that I've written for Connect Three are either about you or are inspired by you. I never even tried to date anyone else, because I knew what hanging out with you was like, and realized that I would only ever be thinking about you while I was with them. Mitchie, I love you and if you give me just a chance, I _swear_ that I'll _never_ let you go."

"What are you saying?" she asked cautiously, repositioning herself so that she was seated sideways on his lap instead of straddling him.

He wanted to make sure that she knew that he was not _telling _her that she had to say 'yes.' "What I'm _asking_," he emphasized 'asking', "is if you'll consider being my girlfriend?"

"Be your _what_?" she stared at him for a moment with a look of disbelief and shock before she got up and started to pace back and forth, trying to shake it off.

"My girlfriend, Mitchie," he told her. "Mitch, there's no one else out there that I would rather be with than you. I'm not going to lie and say that it'll be easy, because it's not, but if you're willing to give me—to give _us_ a chance, I swear that I will be the most devoted, loving boyfriend you have ever had."

"The _only_ boyfriend I've ever had," she muttered to herself under her breath as she stopped pacing for a second to face him. "You're being serious?" she clarified, "Because I don't want to be just 'some other girl' to you. I refuse to let myself be hurt like that."

Shane stood up and walked over to her, stopping her in her tracks and turned her to face him. "You won't be," he promised in a whisper, the most solemn oath he had ever told anyone. "If you give me the chance, I'll _never, ever_ let you go. It has always been you, Mitch; it always will be. You're the only one that I want."

"Promise?" she whispered, allowing a few tears slipping out of her eyes.

"From the center of my heart," he whispered, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. He pulled her into a hug when he felt a few of her tears wet his shirt. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his arms circled her waist. He just held her as she cried, allowing her tears to soak his shirt. When he realized that her tears were picking up speed instead of slowing down, he picked her up bridal style and carried her back to the couch, where he sat down, holding her sideways on his lap. She responded by tightening her hold on him to help support her weight as he carried her. It's not that she was heavy, (in fact, she was pretty light) it was just a subconscious reaction.

She buried her face into the crook of his neck as he rubbed her back comfortingly with his right hand and combed her hair with his left. He made 'shushing' noises as he felt her calm down. It was a tactic his mother had used on him when he was younger and he had always found it comforting. From the sounds of Mitchie's sobs slowing, he presumed that she agreed. He continued the calming motions as he felt her snuggle into his chest.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's ok," he told her honestly, whispering it into her hair. They sat there in content silence as Mitchie composed herself.

"It's just—" she struggled for words.

"It's OK," he repeated to her. "No explanation required."

Mitchie suddenly pulled away from his shoulder, with a look of surprise on her face. Remaining on his lap, she leaned back so that her hands clasped behind his neck were the only thing that kept her from falling backwards. This action almost made the two of them topple over as Shane hadn't had time to brace himself. He placed his hands naturally on her waist to also support her from falling over backwards.

She laughing at the expression on Shane's face before continuing, "You have it all wrong," she giggled. "They were happy tears. If you combined all of my past relationships into one person, that person would never come remotely close to being as sweet to me as you've been, just today. And we aren't even technically dating yet!" the bright smile she gave him at that point could've rivaled the brightness of all the stars combined.

"Well then," he chuckled, "I'm _honored _to show you how a _good_ boyfriend is supposed to treat his girlfriend."

"Well, _thank _you, kind _sir_," she smiled teasingly.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Are you _teasing _me, madam?"

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," she giggled.

"Ooohhh… Bad move," he told her as he leaned forward, pinning her down on the couch by straddling her. He wiggled his fingers in the air above her face and her eyes widened in fear.

"You wouldn't," she whispered in horror.

"Oh yes, I would," Shane told her before his wiggling fingers attacked her vulnerable sides.

"No!" she squealed. "No—Shane—Please! Stop it!" she begged while wriggling beneath him as she tried to get away from his fingers and out of his grasp.

"Not going to work," he teased her as she thrashed when he found her super-ticklish spot.

"Ahhh! Shane!" she shrieked in laughter, trying to push him off of her. Her shove was successful in making him stop for a split second as the motion caused the two of them to fall off of the couch.

"Ooumph-" Shane's breath was knocked out of him as he landed on his back; with Mitchie now on top him. Refusing to give her time to take advantage of the switched situation, he grabbed her shoulders, rolling them over so that he was on top of her again.

"Say that I'm the best boyfriend you've ever had," he ordered, before threatening wiggling his fingers.

"Ok—ok! 'I'm the best _girl_friend you've ever had'," she teasingly giggled, while trying to catch her breath.

"Nope!" Shane said, popping the 'p.' "Wrong answer," he told her, resuming his attack.

"Ahhh! Okay, fine! I surrender. 'Shane, you are the best boyfriend I've ever had!' Now get off of me!" she begged, gasping.

"Uh-uh," he told her. "I just told you that I wanted you to say that. I never _said_ that I would stop if you did."

"Shane!" she yelled in exasperation.

"Ok, fine," he sighed in mock defeat, getting up off of her. He chuckled as she held her sides, gasping for breath. "Are you ok?"

"Oh, _now_ you're the caring boyfriend?" she asked him sarcastically.

"Are you ok?" he repeated more seriously.

"No, I'm not!" she exclaimed, looking up at Shane.

"Oh?" he asked, bemusedly. "How so?"

"I have a boyfriend whose mean and interrupts me during work by tickling me," she said with a fake pout.

Shane smiled and extended his hand down to help her up. She took it, planning on yanking him down to the ground with her, but he had obviously been planning for that and used it as leverage to yank her up into his arms where he kissed her hungrily. Fully surprised, she was frozen for about a millisecond before she responded and they pulled away after a few minutes of sweet kisses. Wondering why Shane stopped, she looked at him confused.

Shane chuckled at the expression on her face and lightly pecked her lips, earning a smile from her. "Your boyfriend?" he asked her bemusedly.

"Yes. My boyfriend: you, you jerk," she attempted to be upset and pull away, but one look at his face she surrendered and allowed herself to be wrapped in his strong arms as she smiled up him. "But I still have one more thing that I'm supposed to say at this point."

"Oh? And what's that?" he asked, letting her go.

She smiled and arranged herself so that she was standing in a very professional, business-like manner before giving a very cheeky smile imitating a salesperson, saying, "Welcome to Torres Hardware, 'where no broken appliance is turned away'. My name is Mitchie. How may I help you today?"

He just laughed and pulled her into another kiss.

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><p><strong>I would like to dedicate this to my Spanish teacher who bored me so much that I brainstormed the idea for this story in his class. (No, I didn't <strong>_**write**_** it in his class, just brainstormed it as his computer hated him and turned off in the middle of his powerpoint that we were taking notes from). **_**Again**_**. That's happened every class so far this year! Funny! **

**Please favorite and review!**

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><p><strong><span>FOR OTHER STORIES<span>:**** Please don't forget my other story, "The King & the Sea." (originally, this message asked you to review "To Be or Not To Be Sorry & Forgiven," but since I posted that, I started writing "The King & the Sea" and I decided to shelf TBoNTB S&F for a while, at least until that is done). ****So please help a girl out and review!**


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